President Macron surprised holidaymakers in the Pyrenees resort of La Mongie on Christmas Day when he and his wife Brigitte turned up unannounced for a few days of skiing.

They were spotted queuing for a ski-lift and lunching at a mountain-top restaurant. Mr Macron, 40, spent many childhood holidays at the home of his maternal grandmother, Germaine Noguès, in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, 15 miles from La Mongie. Ms Noguès, a school headmistress who died in 2013 aged 96, was an important influence in his life: in a book last year he credited her with teaching him how to study and to love reading.

Mr Macron and his wife, 64, posed for selfies with tourists, watched closely by their security officers, all decked out in ski wear.